1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to devices for drinking fluid from a container, and more specifically to valves that ease the effort involved in drinking through a liquid delivery tube by retention of fluid in the tube. The invention further relates to the use of flow restriction to enable users to drink with less risk of fluid entering their lungs.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A variety of devices are known in the prior art to facilitate the drinking of fluid from a container. Many of these prior art devices are simply for the purpose of convenience or to provide fluid to a user while involved in some athletic activity such as biking. Inventors designed other prior art devices to be used by persons who are physically disabled in one fashion or another so that drinking from a liquid delivery tube such as a straw is highly difficult.
The human body requires the ingestion of fluids in order to maintain functions critical to life and health. Typically, replenishing body fluid is facilitated through the drinking of water or other fluids and is a natural intuitive process requiring little effort or thought. However, this is not the case for persons suffering from physical or mental ailments or for those who are particularly frail so that their swallowing function is diminished to the extent that fluid can more easily enter their lungs.
Drinking through a straw provides convenience and improves self-sufficiency for some, while others lack the level of dexterity necessary to perform and maintain a vacuum on the drinking end of the straw, especially between sips. Moreover, due to the containment of air inside the straw, a user will ingest air while drinking, thereby promoting possible discomfort, especially for a user that is unable to belch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,747 discloses a check valve device that helps to overcome the difficulty of drinking through a straw. Although such patent discloses a device that eases the burden of having to void a straw or a drinking tube of air and maintain suction between drinks, the structure disclosed in the '747 patent suffers from several disadvantages. One of the major problems of the check valve disclosed in the '747 patent is that it is not compatible to be used with a standard drinking straw. Another disadvantage of the disclosed check valve is that it is relatively complex in structure. Yet another disadvantage is that the configuration includes no provision to prevent the apparatus from siphoning or drooling fluid on to the user. It also appears that it would be necessary for users to employ one of their hands to properly orient the drinking tube for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,265,769 discloses another type of drinking apparatus that has a one-way valve. The apparatus includes a bottle with a tube accessible by the mouth of a user and a one-way valve placed in the flow stream of the tube to prevent fluid from flowing back into the bottle. Again, this device appears to be helpful in assisting the drinking action of a user, but such device suffers from many of the same disadvantages as those discussed above.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,699,318 and 5,060,833 also disclose the use of one-way check valves near the outer end of a drinking tube. However, neither of the inventions of these patents is directed to be used by persons that are physically challenged. Instead, the '318 patent discloses a device for use by more than one person at a time, and the device of the '833 patent is specifically disclosed as being used in connection with bicyclists.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,117 discloses a straw adapter for a baby bottle that includes a drinking end that is curved and flattened and a straight end that extends to the bottom of a baby bottle. The disclosure of the '117 patent indicates that a unidirectional valve may be used in the adapter to make it easier for a baby to drink from the bottle with the invention.
Another drinking device with a flattened drinking end is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,631. The invention of such patent includes a one piece container that has a body portion and a drinking straw integrally attached to the body portion and in fluid communication with the liquid within the body portion. The terminal end of the straw includes a mouthpiece with a pair of lips that separate when suction is applied to the mouthpiece, but close when pressure is applied. A disadvantage of this configuration is that it requires a user to use their mouth to interact with the valve.
Another type of resilient valve device disclosed in the art is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,349 and involves a valve in the form of an elongated body member. The valve has a uniquely formed interior with an inner chamber wall that slopes in opposition to the outer wall to cause the valve to open when the valve body is deformed by the application of pressure by a user on the valve. U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,772 B1 discloses a flexible member with a slit that remains closed until the user deforms the flexible member. The disadvantage with these configurations is that they require the user to apply pressure onto the valve while maintaining suction.
Yet another prior art device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,601,207 covering a bite valve for delivering liquid to the mouth of a user. The valve of this patent is somewhat unique in that it includes a plurality of spaced apart slits that allow liquid to flow through and out of the valve. This configuration shares the same disadvantage as mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,010,925 discloses a valve assembly that is formed with a valve housing for enclosing a one-way flow valve. The valve assembly disclosed in this patent is relatively complex in structure and would appear to be difficult to manufacture.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,831 a personal hydration system with an improved mouthpiece is disclosed and includes a normally closed slit that is opened when a user deforms the mouthpiece. Again, the mouthpiece of this invention has a relatively complex internal structure that is necessary for its operation and requires the user to maintain pressure to open the valve.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/028,092 discloses a valve that is designed to be employed on the upper end of a straw or drinking tube and has a flexible outlet end that opens when a user applies suction. The disadvantage of this configuration is that the valve can, under certain circumstances, be removed from the straw by the user and it will then pose a danger of being swallowed if it enters the user's mouth.
The present invention is designed to make drinking from a straw easier and safer for people who have diminished physical and mental capacity and is formed with a relatively simple design that can be readily manufactured.